Wire feed and tension assembly



Nov. 18,1941. F. A. STUHLMAN WIREFEED AND TENSION ASSEMBLY Y Fil ed F bm 24, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 18', 1941. F. A. STUHLMAN ,2

Y WIRE FEED AND TENSIQN ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 24, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 18, 1941 WIRE FEED AND TENSION ASSEMBLY Frank A. Stuhlman, Forest Park, 111., assignor to Borg-Warner Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application February 24, 1941,. Serial No. 380,263

3 Claims.

This invention relates to weaving machines and particularly to an improved arrangement for feeding the warp wires to the quills of a weaving machine and applying a predetermined uniform resistance to the passage of the wires so delivered.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved and more efficient arrangement of means for guiding the warp wires from the supply spools to the rear inlet ends or the rotating quills which arrangement is effective to maintain the multiplicity of individual wires separated against interference with one another as the. quills are rotated as well as being effective to apply auniform and delicately balanced resistance to the passage of the wires to the respective quills. It is a more particular object to provide an arrangement for accomplishing the above under the adverse conditions wherein the supply spools are spread out on the mounting panel over an area greater than that occupied by the relatively closely nested quills being supplied therefrom, this adverse condition under which the supply arrangement must operate being particularly accentuated as between the outermost lonesof the supply spools and the quills supplied therefrom by virtue of theconsiderable angular displacement of the elements. e .It is a. more particular object to provide a simplified arrangement of means of the above vcharacter which makes it possible to eliminate the complicated constructions of inter-related guide tubes within tubes such as heretofore employed and represented for example by that shown in the patent to Ewing2,223,317.

Other and, more particular objects, advantages and, usesof my invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan. view of a weaving machine embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a broken away enlarged sectional view taken substantially on the line 2 -2 of Fig. 1 showing to advantage the pertinent portion of theweaving head assembly proper incorporating my invention;

Fig. 3 is a broken away view taken substantially on the line 3-3v of Fig. 1 showing to advantage the supply spool supporting" yoke and improved guide means associated therewith;

It is a more detailed object to. provide in combination with the usual tensioning' assembly a guide member combined therewith which is effective to guide the wire thereto from any angular position depen'ding upon the location 'of the supply spool, this guide. also being capable of accommodating itself to the varying angularities as the quill is rotated.

An additional object is the provision of an arrangement of the above type peculiarly constructed with reference to solving the problem of. internal lubrication of the guide for the purpose of effecting uniform tension or resistance to the passage of the wire therethrough.

A still further detailed object is the provision of an improved arrangement of the above type constructed with particular reference to the solution of the problem of rapid and efficient threading of the quills.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged broken "away sectional view of my improved warp wire guiding and tensioning assembly in one of the preferred forms thereof; and

Fig. 5 is a cross section view taken substantially on the line 55 of Fig. 4 bringing out to particular advantage the manner in which the coil spring tubing is positioned in channels formed in the body of. the generally cylindrical tensioning member.

Referring in greater detail to the figures of the-drawings there is indicated schematically in Fig. 1 the essential elements ofya-wire weaving machine incorporating a. preferred embodiment of my invention. A weaving head assembly indicated generally at ID .has supplied thereto warpwires II from a. spool supply Panel indicated generally at l2 and functions in connectionwith a filler wire supply arrangement (not shown) to weave wire fabric indicated generally at l3. Referring particularly to Fig.2. it. will .be seen that the detailed structure forming the weaving head It comprises essentially a comb assembly 15 cooperating with the forward discharg end of a quill assembly I6 which feeds pairs of warp wires extending therealong and twists the same between successive ones of horizontally injected ribbon-like filler wires. The problem of supplying these warp wiressindicated at H and i8 has been found to be one requiring very exact and delicate guide means .as well as tension applying means in order that a substantially perfect fabric may be produced having the requisite optical as we'll asstructural characteristics. The present invention is particularly directed to the solution of this problem.

I havefound that the warp wire tensioning and delivering assembly indicated generally at .20 is preferably constructed by forming agenerally cylindrical member adjacent the forward end thereof with a joint 2! for connecting the same to the rear end of the quill intermediate the ends thereof, with means indicated at 22 for applying a predetermined selected resistance to the passage of a pair of warp wires thereby and with a pair of flexible tubular guides for introducing the warp wires l 7 and I8 to the tensioning means 22. I have found particular advantages in employing'coiled spring wire tubing 23 in this capacity. This wire! may be installed by first forming a pair of generally diametrically op posed coaxially extending channels24, and. 25 in 'portion to the amount of displacement of the supply spool away from the axis of the quill, this displacement being the greatest in the case of the outermost spools.

Also of special importance. is the fact that this particular .construction of flexible guide lends itself to ready lubrication withthe result that a refined degree of control over the passage of wire therethrough is realized. More specifically, the junctions between adjacent convolutions of the coiled spring wire. constituting the flexible tubing permits the passage therethrough' of controlled quantities of lubricant with the result that .this lubricant reaches the interior of the tubing at a very definite and uniform rate once the same has been applied to the exterionthereof as by means ofa conventional oil can spout.

I prefer to employ a coiled spring wire tubing :01? such size as to allow the passage therethrough of the particular gauge of warp wire employed without any appreciable excess loose fitting between the wire and the tubing withthe advantage that the universal action in particular results in a predetermined limited control over 'the passage of the wire through the tubing. The flexible tubing may be obtained in various sizes from the manufacturers thereof and no claim is here made to any novelty in the spring'tubing per se. r

While the warp wire= supply spools may be supported on the supply panels in any of a number of ways, I have illustrated in Fig. 3 this being done by providing a yoke member indicated generally at 30 and comprising readily releasable supporting trunnions 3| and 32, arranged to hold spools 33 and 34 delivering warp wires I! and I8 to a pair of flexible coil spring tubular members 35 and 36 extending a short distance beyond their support on yoke 30 to provide a universal action similar to that provided by theends 26 and 21 of coiled spring wire tube 23 and 23. Yoke member 30 may be mounted in suitable journals (not shown) formed in panel [2, the same being supported by trunnions 3'! and 38 and adapted to be suitably rotated through the medium of gear 39. i

It is important to note that'the threading of the warp wires I! and IBboth into flexible tubes 35, 36 and into flexible tubes 23 and 23' as well as into the guides of quill assembly [6 is greatly facilitated by this arrangement including particularly the fact that the Wires I! and I8 are openly exposed for a major portion of the distance between the spools and the quills.

While the tensioning means 22 is disclosed as comprising a plurality of pins over which the wire may be selectively entwined to secure a particular degree of resistance, it will be understood that other forms of tensioning means in place of that indicated at 22 may be employed in combination with the resistance offered by flexible coiled spring wire tubing 23 and 23 within the scope of my invention. Likewise other forms of supporting arrangements for warp wire spools 33 and 34 may be employed Within the spirit of my invention.

While I have disclosed my invention in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof it is my intention that such disclosure be considered by way of example and that my invention be defined by the appended claims which should be given a scope as broad as permitted by the prior art.

I claim:

1. In a weaving machine wire feeding arrangement for a multiplicity of quills, including means forming a bank of supply spools opposite the rear inlet ends of said quills, said spools necessarily being spread over a greater area than that occupied by said quills resulting in an offset relation between at least certain of said spools and the corresponding quills, the combination therewith of means for maintaining said wires separated and for guiding the same from adjacent said spools to said quills, comprising guide means associated with each of said spools including a relatively short length of coiled spring wire tubing supported adjacent the associated spool and through which each wire is passed, a tensioning assembly connected to the rear end of each of said quills, each assembly including a generally cylindrical body member provided adjacent the rear end of said quill with adjustable means for applying a predetermined resistance to the passage of wire thereby and having generally diametrically opposed axially extending channels in the rear portion thereof, said channels receiving a pair of coiled spring wire tubes for delivering the wire to said tensioning means, said last named tubes having rearwardly extending portions protruding beyond the rear end of said body member, said spring tubes being effective to flex in a universal manner as said quills rotate to accommodate the change in angularity due to the offset relation between the spools and the associated tensioning members.

2. In a wire feeding and tensioning assembly for a rotatable twisting quill of a wire weaving machine, a generally cylindrical rotatable body formed with a joint for connecting the same to the rear end of said quill, a pair of generally diametrically opposed axially extending channels formed in the rear portion of said body, adjustable means on the forward portion of said body for applying a predetermined resistance to the passage of a pair of warp wires, a coil spring wire tube positioned in each of said channels communicating at the forward end thereof with said tensioning means and having a portion thereof extending beyond the rear of said cylindrical body functioning as inlet guides and universal joints for the reception of said'warp wires, the junction between adjacent convolutions of said spring wires functioning to pass lubricant into the periphery of said tube for lubricating the passage of said warp wires therethrough and thus regulating the extent of the resistance offered to the passage of said wires by said coil spring tubes.

3. In a wire feeding and tensioning arrangement for the twisting quill of a weaving machine including a wire supply spool for said quill located in a position offset from the axis thereof, a tension applying device comprising a generally cylindrical rotatable body member formed at the forward end thereof with a joint for connecting the same at the rear end of said quill for rotation therewith and provided intermediate the ends thereof with adjustable means for applying a predetermined resistance to the passage of a pair of warp wires to said quill, said body member being formed in the periphery of the rear portion thereof with a pair of generally diametrically opposed coaxially extending channels, a coil spring wire tube received in each of said channels, said tubes communicating at the forward ends thereof with said tensioning means and having rear portions extending beyond the rear end of said body portion to provide a universal joint action to accommodate the changes in delivery conditions due to rotation of the quill and body member, the junctions between adjacent convolutions of said coil spring wire functioning to pass lubricant into the inner periphery of said tubes for lubricating the passage of said wires therethrough and thus regulating the extent of the resistance to passage of the wires through said tubes to thus supplement by a predetermined value the resistance offered by said first tensioning means.

FRANK A. STUHLMAN. 

